And We Bike….
Posted by: ScottOct 23 2007, 10:50 am
In early September the BTA and the Washington County Bicycle Transportation Coalition launched the And We Bike campaign. In response to the tragic death of Tim O’Donnell, the idea of this effort is to share the human-side of the road, to urge people to just wait a second and respect the person on the roadway because the cyclists next to you might just be your very own sister or brother.
Every year over 42,000 people die on America’s roads, and oftentimes it just seems like this is expected, a mere statistic. This reality is absurd and inhumane! Cyclists make up less than 1,000 of these deaths, but each time a cyclist falls we mourn deeply.
Yesterday’s death of Brett Jarolimek clearly showed us how the loss of one person is like losing our mother, father, daughter, friend, and co-worker. Brett worked at The Bike Gallery and was well know in the cycling and racing community, and today we grieve for his loss.
Please respect everyone out there as you drive, bike, and walk. Please be kind and gentle. The five seconds you might save is not worth the loss that we all suffer.
Thank you so much for the very well put words of caring and advice to all of us that drive and bike and walk. We are all human and need to be responsable and present in everything we do. It's okay to take it easy, slow down and be thoughtful.
I was not a 'friend' of Brett's, but he certainly was an inspiration to me. Thanks to him, I transitioned from mountain biking to road biking just this past year. He was a kind an patient person, encouraging, knowledgeable and genuine. Every time I was in the store, he acknowledged me, asked me how the riding was going, and oohhed and ahhed over my newest road rash. After my wonderful experience with Brett, I recommended the Bike Gallery, and specifically Brett, to everyone who needed something cycling related. He truly left an impression on me. I feel just awful about this. I wish I could tell him how he changed my life.
Why isn't the BTA outraged at the District Attorney's failure to prosecute in Jarolimek's death!!? They didn't even convene a grand jury, just decided to do nothing at all. The BTA is supposed to be a voice for the cyclist community, not merely a handshaking, warm and fuzzy go-along-get-along organization. Where's your courage to speak to power!!? All the cyclist-safety laws in the world will accomplish nothing whatsoever if drivers can ignore the cyclist's right of way, and use "I didn't see" as an excuse for making a fatal blind turn. This is Criminally Negligent Homicide at least, even Manslaughter; look up the definitions in the Oregon Criminal Code if you have doubts. True, prosecution won't bring Jarolimek back, but by this reasoning prosecuting any homicide would be unjustified. The cold hard reality of riding in Portland is now, thanks to inaction by the DA and PPB, that our "right of way" is an empty right without a remedy, mere words on paper. The law is there to protect us, and I expect this organization to at least make a formal protest. Or, in its success, has the BTA become another feckless organization which has forgetten its roots?